Bromine → 1-Bromo-3,4-difluoro-2-methylbenzene

To 1,2-difluoro-3-methylbenzene (5 g, 39.0 mmol, commercially available from e.g. Sigma-Aldrich, Apollo or Fluorochem) containing iron (0.131 g, 2.342 mmol) was added bromine (2.011 ml, 39.0 mmol) dropwise maintaining a temperature of <30° C. with ice cooling. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. The mixture was partitioned between water (50 mL) and diethyl ether (100 mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with diethyl ether (3×50 mL), combined organic extracts were washed with water (50 mL), 5% sodium thiosulfate solution (50 mL), water (50 mL), brine (50 mL), dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo to afford product in 8.07 g. (Caution: by of product=68-70° C. @ 57 mBar).